


I Swear by the Stars

by On_the_Side_of_the_Angels



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-08
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2017-12-18 03:06:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/874937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/On_the_Side_of_the_Angels/pseuds/On_the_Side_of_the_Angels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jehan's old friend, Grantaire, comes to stay with him and enjolras in their dorm, enjolras must learn to deal with this infuriating new addition to their lives while Grantaire works to hide the feelings that he ends up developing for the other man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A loud and sudden clang outside his window woke Enjolras with a start. As he peeled the piece of paper of his cheek, he realized that, once again, he had fallen asleep while working at his desk. He rubbed his aching neck and back; twisting and bending in an attempt to stretch out his cramped muscles. He was going to develop a serious spinal problem if he kept doing this. But he had to much work to do to worry about a simple posture problem. He glanced at his clock, _6am . . . great_.

Another bang echoed up from the alley below. Enjolras stumbled out of his desk chair and yawned as he walked to his second story window. He looked down to see a pair of legs and shoeless feet sticking out of a metal garbage can with about four others tipped over on the ground around it.

“Are you okay?”, Enjolras yelled. The only reply was a long moan that reverberated around the metal can before floating up to enjolras’ window. Enjolras waved a hand absentmindedly toward the window and turned away, _Who cares; The guy’s a drunk. Let him sleep off his hangover in the gutter_. Enjolras’ mind drifted back to more pressing matters as he wandered toward the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. Damn, we’re almost out. They ran out of coffee a lot since Enjolras practically absorbed the stuff. He’d have to mention it to Jehan (his roommate) since he insisted on doing all the shopping. “If I left it up to you, all you would buy is coffee and protein bars!”, he had once said; and Enjolras had to agree. As a very opinionated law student he was too busy for making complex meals. Anything quick and easy that would keep his energy up was good.

He was about to go back and continue his work from the night before when the sounds of singing came to him from out in the main corridor. “51 I love you! I would drink barrels of it! Till I fall on the ground! Under coconut trees!”. Enjolras grinned as he recognized the classic french drinking song, then let out a small chuckle as the next verse was preceded by a loud belch. _Sounds like someone had some fun last night_!

To his surprise, the singing stopped and was replaced by a knock at the door. Confused, Enjolras walked to the door and opened it to the sight of a very disheveled looking, smelly, and shoeless man. The man in front of him blinked a couple of times, pointed a shaky finger at Enjolras as though he were about to make an important point, and then proceeded to pass out at Enjolras’ feet.

The strange man woke up to the sunlight streaming in a window across the room. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked up and jumped a little. There was a man standing over him, arms crossed with a look on his face that looked like a mixture of confusion, anger, and amusement. To the man laying on the couch, the other looked like an ancient god. The light from the window shown through his blonde curls and made them glow like liquid gold. His red, half buttoned shirt did nothing to hide the beauty of the figure’s physique; the lean, tall body was perfectly muscular in just the right places. And his face, he got a little light headed just looking at it, The beautiful blue eyes so deep you could lose yourself in them. They were like an ocean that was stormy and strong, yet soft and majestic at the same time. Then there were the perfect cheek bones that must have been sculpted by an angel, that let down to the most beautiful lips had ever seen. So soft and pink, Just yearning for someone’s touch.

He collected himself and managed to greet the beautiful man.  
“Hey Apollo”, he said with a sideways grin.


	2. New Roommate?

“Apollo?”, Enjolras asked. “Yes.”, the man on the couch said matter-of-factly, “Apollo.” Still confused, Enjolras decided to wait until later to bother decifering this man’s odd statements; he must be suffering from a massive hangover after all. 

“Where am I?”, the man asked. Enjolras stared at him for a moment then said, “I think a better question would be ‘who are you?’”. “Ah...right...”, mummbled the other man. “The name’s Grantaire. Now would you be kind enough to tell me where I am?”. 

“You’re in my living room, on my couch. The couch which I will now probably have to burn in order to get the alcohol stink out of it.”. Enjolras replied, glaring at Grantaire. “Oy! No need to be so harsh” whined Grantaire, putting on a pouty face and sitting up. “In return for hurting my feelings, i believe you should make me breakfast! Pancakes preferably.” 

“You expect me to make breakfast, wasting perfectly good eggs, for some random drunk that wandered off the street to pass out on my doorstep?”. “Yup!”, Grantaire replied simply. 

Although Grantaire was annoying, Enjolras did find him somewhat amusing so he consented to fix him some pancakes. As they sat down at the small, lopsided table in the middle of the kitchen, Enjolras decided it was time to find out just what was going on here. “So, Grantaire, any particular reason you walked all the way up to the second floor of the building before passing out on my, of all people’s, doorstep?”.

 

 “Yes, there is actually. While i was out walking last night...this morning? ... whatever. I wandered into an alley and noticed that you were awake. So i estimated where your room would be and came to find you. Took me quite a few tries to find the right door. Hope no one’s too sore at me.” 

 

“Oh! So you’re the drunk i saw falling all over the gutter with your ass hanging out of a trash can?!” Enjolras laughed. “But that still doesn’t answer the question as to why you came to find me.”

 

“Well”, Grantaire began, “I have a friend who lives in this dorm and I was hoping you would know what room he’s in. He told me once while we were hanging at a bar, but i forgot the number. It started with a three . . . or maybe a seven?”

 

“Sorry to disappoint you”, said Enjolras “but I’m not a very social person so i don’t know many people around here. I have a select group of friends and i stick with them.”

 

At that moment, Enjolras’ roommate, Jehan, walked out of the hallway and into the kitchen with his eyes tightly shut wearing what seemed t be floral leggings under and over-sized tie-dye T-shirt. He walks over to a cupboard, grabbing a glass and then over to the fridge from which he emerges with a carton of orange juice. “Hey enj!” He yelled, “wanna come pour this juice for me?”

 

“No need to shout!”, Enjolras yelled back with a grin, “Im’m right here. And why don’t you just open your eyes and do it yourself?!”. “Too bright, too early.” The man stated simply. Grantaire, who had been watching silently so far, walked over to the counter where Jehan was standing, uncapped the juice carton and filled the glass. “Thanks enj”, Jehn said with a smile. “Hey! ‘Enj’ shouldn’t be getting credit for my hard work!” Grantaire said disdainfully. Jehan’s eyes fluttered open in an instant “Grantaire!” he yelped in an unnaturally high voice, “What are you doing here?!”

 

“Wait one second!” Ejolras interrupted, “You know this man?”

 

“Of course I do”, Jehan replied. “I’ve told you about him before, this is R!”

 

 _“This_ is R?”

 

“Yes! Remember, I told you that he decided to transfer to our school next semester and he’d be staying with us till he found a place of his own?”, Jehan turns to Grantaire, “but you said you weren’t coming till the end of the semester. Thats in two weeks”.

 

“Eh, i got tired of it there.”, Grantaire replied. “I arranged to take my exams early and hopped on a bus down here. I got lucky finding the right room so quicklyYou not happy to see me?” he asked jokingly. 

 

“Of course I am!” shrieked Jehan as he enveloped Grantaire in a large hug. After releasing the hug he proceeded to grab Grantaire’s and and drag him down the hallway. “Come on! You’ll be staying with me, in my room! It’ll be like a slumber party!”

 

The bewildered Enjolras sank back into his chair . . . _what the fuck just happened_ . . . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys still like it. Once again, i really appreciate comments :) Thanks!


	3. The Coffee Caper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grantaire does his best to annoy Enjolras to death.
> 
> Hope you like it, please comment :)

Enjolras woke up the next morning to a very loud and repetitive electronic rhythm that sounded like it belonged in an outdated discotheque, coming from across the hall. He attempted to drown it out by covering his head with a pillow, holding it so tight he almost suffocated. When the didn’t work he hopped out of bed and stomped angrily across the hall, stopping to pound with all his might on Jehan’s bedroom door yelling. “What the hell?! it’s 6:30 in the morning for God’s sake!”. When no answer came, Enjolras pounded on the door even harder in an attempt to get their attention. At one point he thought he heard giggling from the other side of the door. A few seconds later, the door opened just enough for a curly-haired head to pop out.  

Grantaire had a wide grin on his face. “Whats up, Apollo?”, he asked innocently.  

“You know exactly ‘what’s up’!”, Enjolras yelled in reply.  

“I do?”, Grantaire asked in a mock confused voice, furrowing his eyebrows as if thinking deeply about what could be wrong.  

“Gah!”, Enjolras exclaimed, flailing his arms in exasperation, “Just turn down that damn music! it sounds like a robot’s dying in there!”. At this, a loud snort came from behind the door. Enjolras rolled his eyes, Jehan was obviously quite amused by the whole scenario.  

Grantaire’s head disappeared in a flash and the door slammed in Enjolras’ face. Thankfully, a second later, the music was turned down so all Enjolras could hear was the light thump of the base in the background. _Thank God,_ he thought.  

Although he finally had some quiet, Enjolras was still quite annoyed so he headed towards the kitchen to make himself some coffee. Oh, how he loved coffee! Plain, dark black, bitter coffee . . . like liquid heaven. Enjolras’ mouth started watering at the thought, he could practically taste it. When he got to the kitchen he went to the cupboard and retrieved his favorite mug: bright red with scripty black writing that read “‘Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.‘   - John F. Kennedy”. Then he got out his coffee grinder and went to go get his special beans, because everyone knows freshly ground coffee is always better. However, when he got to the drawer that was supposed to contain his expensive, delicious, Ethiopian coffee beans, they were gone! He looked all over, finally checking the trash can and finding the empty bag right there on top. Enjolras stood there for a minute, stunned. That bag had been worth fifty dollars . . . **fifty**! it had been a Christmas present from his father and he had only used it twice, saving it for special occasions. And it was all gone! But he knew exactly who’d done it. 

His hands started to shake as he picked up the bag. He was pissed! Purposefully, he walked down the hall. Not bothering to knock, Enjolras burst into Jehan’s room, demanding to know who drank his coffee! Completely straight faced, Grantaire replied, “I think it was the bean fairies. I heard some tinkling sounds and tiny, high-pitched giggles from the kitchen earlier and found some sparkles in my hair when I woke up this morning.”. Not even slightly amused Enjolras crossed his arms and glared at Grantaire.  

Jehan, sitting cross-legged and wide-eyed on the bed leaned over and whispered to Grantaire, “I think he’s going to kill you . . . with his mind”. Grantaire just Isat there and smIrked at Enjolras. HIs unblInkIng eyes looked as If they were trying to burn holes right through Grantaire’s heart. “I told him it was your special coffee Enjolras, I really did! He just doesn’t listen!”, Jehan blurted out and then quickly covered his own mouth when Enjolras turns to look at him. Suddenly, Enjolras turned on his heels and quickly exited the room, shutting the door behind him.  

“Yup!”, Jehan said, “He’s gonna murder you in your sleep”. Grantaire went over to his dresser, pulled open the top drawer and retrieved a ziplock bag full of something brown. Jehan squints at the bag, “is that? . . . no . . . You didn’t!”.  

“I most certainly did”, Grantaire replied with an evil grin.  

Carrying the bag, Grantaire walked across the hall, to Enjolras’ door. After setting the bag on the floor in front of it, he knocked on the door and then left to disappear back into Jehan’s room.  

Inside, Enjolras heard the knock. Rolling his eyes and letting out an exasperated sigh, he pushed himself out of his desk chair where he had started working on a report for his history class. He walked over to the door and opened it. No one was there so he moved to step out into the hall and look fro the culprit when something hit his foot. When he picked up the ziplock bag at his feet he let out a small shout of annoyance. it was his coffee! 

From behind the door across the hall, Enjolras heard loud, peeling laughter. Upon hearing Enjolras’ yell, both Grantaire and Jehan had collapsed in a heap of laughter on the bed. _That was too easy_ , Grantaire thought as he laughed. 


	4. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grantaire realizes for the first time that he has feelings for Enjolras!

 

“Hey, Jehan, wanna listen to my speech and give me some pointers?” 

“Sure, Enjy, what class is it for?” Jehan replied, curling up in an old arm chair held together by duct tape and starting to separate his long, red hair in preparation for a braid.  

“Ethics. I’m arguing about how unnecessary procedures are a major and increasing problem in our health care systems today. I mean, seriously, it’s ridiculous.” 

At this, Grantaire, who had been searching through the fridge for fresh beer, popped his head up over the door and looked at Enjolras. “Really? That’s your topic? What are your main points?” 

“Well, simply put,” began Enjolras, crossing his arms, “unnecessary procedures, such as early elective deliveries, waste billions of dollars on procedures that could be potentially harmful, and even life-threatening when there was no reason to do them in the first place.”  

Grantaire rolled his eyes and closed the fridge. He leaned against the fridge door, pulled a swiss army knife out of his pocket and proceeded to pry the cap off of the beer bottle in his hands. He then took a long swig and pointed the neck of the bottle at Enjolras. “You, my good sir, would be wrong. Well intended, but wrong none the less.” 

Enjolras glared at the scruffy man across from him. “And why is that, may I ask?”. 

So he told him, and their conversation quickly escalated into a heated debate. Eventually, the topics of this debate spread from healthcare into practically every area of politics. It ranged everywhere from which drugs should and shouldn’t be legal, to when it is acceptable to plead insanity in court, to which president in history had been the best. They were so immersed in their argument that they didn’t even notice when an awkward looking Jehan quietly got up from his seat and edged his way around them to quickly disappear into his room. As they argued, Grantaire and Enjolras gradually had become louder and had started moving closer and closer to each other, till their noses were practically touching. Suddenly, realizing how close they were, Grantaire completely forgot about the argument he was in the middle of; he could barely breathe. He stared into Enjolras’ eyes . . . they were so blue, and they sparkled with passion as the man continued to defend his point.  

“Grantaire!” Enjolras yelled, waking the other from his day dreams. “Were you paying attention at all to that last point I made?!” 

Grantaire blushed slightly after realizing that it had been his turn to rebut the other’s argument but had not noticed, lost inside his own fantasies. Shakily, he tried to recover. “Sorry, your argument was so dull, I think I fell asleep on my feet for a bit there.” Still very aware of how close they were, Grantaire turned away, running a hand through his hair. He walked to the counter, picking up his beer from where he had set it down, and then hoisted himself up to sit on the edge.  

“Whatever, sleeping counts as forfeit, so I win.” Enjolras said, grinning.  

“Ha! I let you win!” Grantaire called. Enjolras just laughed, already disappearing back into his own room.  

Quickly, Grantaire downed his beer and rushed to Jehan’s room, finding him listening to some soft opera and sticking flowers in his now completed braid. “What’s up, R?” he asked with a smile.  

“I think I’m attracted to Enjolras,” he replied as he sank down to sit on the floor with his back against the door. Jehan stared at him blankly for a few seconds, computing what the other had said. Then he burst into very loud, obnoxious laughter.  

“This isn’t funny!” Grantaire protested.  

“Oh, but is is! It really is. You two are such opposites. Not to mention the fact that Enjolras doesn’t really date. I’m not even sure he knows that the thing in his pants has a function other than relieving his bladder.” 

Unamused, Grantaire got up to put together his “bed” on the floor that consisted of some pillows, some blankets, and a yoga matt that served as his mattress. He pushed Enjolras to the back of his mind, determined to sleep peacefully instead of thinking about _him_ all night.  

But this was a hopeless cause. Although he was able to get to sleep all right, Enjolras’ face filled his dreams. His blue eyes sparkling with passion, his slender eyebrows raised questioningly, his soft lips framing the words of some beautiful argument.   

When he awoke, Grantaire was smiling. But it quickly disappeared when he realized what he was smiling about. This was going to be a problem . . . 


	5. The Two-Month-Aversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjolras finds out (after two months) that Jehan and Courfeyrac are dating.

**From Jehan: To Courfeyrac**

Hey sweetie, we still on for tonight?

**From Courfeyrac: To Jehan**

Of course babe ;) 6 o’clock sharp.

**From Jehan: To Courfeyrac**

K, see you then. *kiss* 

Jehan knocked on Courfeyrac’s door at 6 o’clock sharp, hiding a bottle of Courfeyrac’s favorite white wine behind his back. When Courfeyrac answered the door, Jehan pulled the bottle from behind his back, holding it up so Courfeyrac could see it. Courf grinned, grabbed Jehan by the waist, and pulled him into the apartment. The two collapsed on the couch, leaving the bottle of wine on the coffee table, not once hesitating in their kissing.  

Back at his apartment, Enjolras was in the kitchen making coffee during one of his very scarce breaks from studying.  

“Hey Jehan, want anything from the kitchen while I’m up?” Enjolras called down the hall.  

“He’s not here,” Grantaire said from the couch, not even bothering to open his eyes or lift his head from his pillow.   

“What do you mean, not here?” 

“I mean, not here. His body does not currently reside within the four walls of this building.” 

“Well where’d he go? He didn’t tell me about any plans?” 

“He’s out on some date with Courfeyrac. It’s their two-month-a-versary or something sissy like that.” 

“Courfeyrac? As in, my best friend? My Courf?” 

“Uh, sure?” Grantaire said with a laugh. “Didn’t you know your best friend was dating your roommate?” 

“No! I most certainly did not! Why didn’t anyone tell me?” 

“I don’t know, but I can’t believe you didn’t notice,” Grantaire snorted.   

“Whatever.” Enjolras crossed his arms and stomped out of the room.  

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“Dinner was absolutely delicious, baby,” Courfeyrac said, settling onto the couch.  

“I’m so glad you liked it,” Jehan smiled, leaning in for a kiss, but stopping short when his phone dinged. He fished his phone out of his pocket.  

**From Grantaire: To Jehan**

The cat’s out of the bag ;P 

“Damn it, you win,” Jehan pouted, handing Courf a fifty. 

“Damn straight! I _always_ win!” Courfeyrac winked at Jehan, kissing him with a smile as he took the bill from him and slipped it into his back pocket.  

Pulling back from the kiss, Courfeyrac softly brushed the hair out of the other’s eyes. “I think there’s a consolation prize waiting for you in my bedroom.” 

“Oh,really?” Jehan blushed slightly and smiled up at Courf.  

Courfeyrac took Jehan’s hand in his, leading the other man down the hall and into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.  

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Jehan returned to his and Enjolras’ place the next morning, Whistling all the way to the front door. When he walked in the front door, Enjolras was waiting for him, perched on the arm of the couch, arms folded, glaring at the back of the door.  

“So, where were you last night?” Enjolras asked innocently. “Must’ve been a good time considering you were out all night.” 

“I was at a friends house, hanging out,” Jehan replied, not looking at Enjolras’ face. 

“Oh come on! I know where you were, you were at Courfeyrac’s apartment, your boyfriend.” 

Jehan’s only reply was a small grin forming at the edges of his lips.  

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were dating my best friend? You’re my roommate!” 

“Exactly why I can’t believe you didn’t find out until now. We were gonna tell you when we first started going out but we decided to make things more interesting. So we took bets on how long it would take you to find out.” 

“I am slightly offended.” Jehan simply smiled back at him.

Enjolras rolled his eyes, “Well, who won?” 

Jehan’s smile disappeared and an annoyed look appeared on his face. “Courf did,” he mumbled to the floor. At this Enjolras laughed, loudly. Jehan pushed his way passed Enjolras and started down the hallway, on his way to his room. 

“Wait,” Enjolras called.  

“What?” 

“Why were you gone all night? Didn’t you need to come home and sleep after your date?” 

Jehan burst into a fit of loud, uncontrollable giggles. “Oh Enjy.” He shook his head and disappeared into his room. Enjolras could still hear him giggling, long after the door had closed.  

“Are you serious?” Grantaire suddenly appeared outside the apartment window. 

“First of all, what the heck are you doing outside the window; and second of all, am I serious about what?” 

“For your information, there is a wonderful view from your fire escape, so I came out here to paint it. But do you seriously not understand where Jehan was last night?”  

Enjolras just glared back at him in silence. Grantaire laughed in return, climbing back inside through the window.  

“Jehan was out . . . all night . . . with his boyfriend . . .on their ‘two-month-a-versary’ . . .” 

“Yes? And your point is?” 

“You really don’t get it, do you?” Grantaire grinned even wider. 

“They made the beast with two backs, danced the horizontal pantless mambo, the four-legged fox trot, the no pants dance?” 

Enjolras just stared back at him with a confused expression.  

“Oh my God.” Grantaire laughed. 

“They buttered the muffin . . . parked the hot rod in the garage . . .they caught a case of creaking bed syndrome . . . did the horizontal naked dance . . .” 

More blank stares.  

“Seriously?” Grantaire stared at him incredulously. Then he walked over to Enjolras to whisper in his ear. At first, Enjolras furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, then the reality of it dawned on him and his eyes widened to the size of golf balls.  

“Oh!” He exclaimed. “Oh,” He said slightly quieter. 

“Yah,” Grantaire replied, still grinning like the cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. 

“Oh, I totally knew that.” Enjolras said, blushing, trying to cover up his original confusion. 

Grantaire walked to the fridge, removing two beers, opening them, and then handing one to Enjolras.  

“Of course you did,” Grantaire said with a wink. He then proceeded to disappear into his and Jehan’s room. After the door closed, Enjolras could hear hurried talking and then loud giggling. He rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore them. Then he pulled out his phone to text Courfeyrac.  

**From Enjolras: To Courfeyrac**

So how much you win off your little bet? :P

**From Courfeyrac: To Enjolras**

$50, thanks for that XP

**From Enjolras: To Courfeyrac**

I’m so glad I could be of assistance.

**From Courfeyrac: To Enjolras**

But seriously, no hard feelings, right?

**From Enjolras: To Courfeyrac**

Course not, I can never be mad at you, and Jehan’s a good guy :P

**From Courfeyrac: To Enjolras**

Good, and he really is :) gtg, see you at the meeting tomorrow.

**From Enjolras: To Courfeyrac**

K, see you then. I got some great discussion topics planned out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry it took so long to upload, had a case of writers block. People keep saying they wana know what the rest of Les Amis think of R, next chapter I promise :)


	6. Les Amis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grantaire finally meets the rest of les amis!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the super late update. computer crashed, sent it to three people, still not fixed! borrowing computers now lol. Gonna try to keep up with the updating from now on!

“The meeting wasn’t a complete disaster Enjy.” Jehan was laying across Enjolras’ bed, staring at the other man as he sat at his desk and hid his head in his hands. 

“How can you say that? It was awful!” 

“Come on,” Jehan smiled “you have to admit that certain parts of it were pretty entertaining.”

Enjolras simply glared at him. 

“or not.” Jehan said quickly, trying to hide the grin beginning to form on his lips.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*the previous night*

The back room of the Mussain was extremely full, of both people and noise. The whole of Les Amis had finally arrived and were awaiting their bold leader to begin the meeting. 

As Enjolras stood up in the center of the room, he looked around at the group he had created. They were a strange, rag-tag little bunch, but they were his, and he was proud. Enjolras stopped scanning the room when he reached the corner, and he stood there, staring in shock. In that corner, sitting almost hidden in the shadows, was the last person he wanted to see in this of all places. 

“Do I never get a break!” Enjolras thought to himself. “He’s in my home, he goes to my school, and now he’s even here?! The last place that was just mine is now contaminated.”

Noticing Enjolras’ staring, Grantaire cocked his head and grinned back at him, then, raised his hand and waggled his fingers in a girly wave. 

Enjolras’ expression quickly changed from a look of surprise to a glare of annoyance, and he quickly turned away from Grantaire’s gaze. 

Although Enjolras did not, Jehan saw when Grantaire’s face fell into an expression of sadness as the other man turned away from him. Jehan felt for his friend; Enjolras barely acknowledged his existence, much less the affection R held for him. 

As Enjolras called the meeting to order, he could feel Grantaire’s eyes on him, never wavering. It pulled at his concentration, causing him to stumble over his words and even forget his points mid sentence. He berated himself mentally, “These are serious topics”, he would think to himself, “you shouldn’t be so distracted by something as simple as someone staring at you. 

Things got even worse when Grantaire started interrupting Enjolras’ lectures to tell him he was wrong. Even if Enjolras finally brought up a topic Grantaire did not disagree with, he would stop Enjolras mid-rant to correct his grammar, or his posture. 

Once, Grantaire cleared his throat to get Enjolras’ attention. Enjolras simply glared at him, which Grantaire decided was permission to go ahead and proceeded to tell the other man that he “was born with anorexi-earitis, (which he swore was real and serious medical condition) which means I have peculiarly thin ear drums and your unreasonable shouting is causing me extreme pain. And you wouldn’t want me to be in pain, would you, Apollo?”

Enjolras’ reply to this, was to turn slightly and continue where he left off. However, his voice slowly rose in volume ‘till Jehan was surprised the room wasn’t shaking. Out of the corner of his eye, Enjolras glanced over at Grantaire. To his surprise, the man was laughing. He was sitting in his dark, little corner and laughing his ass off. He was so infuriating and it was driving Enjolras insane. 

Grantaire’s annoying comments and arguments continued throughout the meeting, and by the end, Enjolras had given up trying to resist. After making his final point, he ordered a beer and sat down to sulk at the end of the bar. A few minutes later, he was startled out of his brooding when Eponine appeared on the other side of the bar. 

“So who’s the hot new guy?” She said as she put on her apron; Musichetta had gotten her a job here at the Mussain when she found out Eponine was trying to pay her way through college. 

“What new guy?” Enjolras replied without looking up at her.

“Mr. Tall-dark-and-scruffy who was sitting in the back corner all night.”

“Oh . . .  _Him_ ” Enjolras said gruffly. “He is not, I repeat  _NOT_ , a new member of the group. He is visiting this one time with Jehan, but I refuse to allow him to become a permanent fixture in our lives.”

Eponine raised her hands, taking a slight step back. “Ok then, not new guy” she said, chuckling slightly. “But whatever you wanna call him, he still has a name doesn’t he?”

“Grantaire” Enjolras spat through clenched teeth. “Now, drop it.”

“Ok, fine” Eponine grinned as she moved away from Enjolras to grab a clean glass from behind the bar. 

“What does he drink?” She asked, returning to Enjolras’ spot at the bar, and nodding towards Grantaire. 

“Just give him the cheapest thing you’ve got, He’ll never know the difference.”

Eponine rolled her eyes as she played eeny-meeny-miny-moe with the bar’s selection of beer taps. She filled the glass and come around the bar, giving Enjolras a wink as she headed towards Grantaire with the foaming mug.

Enjolras turned back to his own glass, shaking his head slowly. He could not understand everyone’s fascination with the stinky drunk who had invaded his life. 

When Eponine arrived at the table with the drink, Grantaire was mid-story. She set the glass on the table, mouthing “on the house”. He smiled at her, the continued his story as Eponine sank into Jehan’s lap who immediately started braiding her hair.

“Next thing I know, I’m waking up in a huge ass fountain in the middle of the city, being held like a baby by a giant stone angel. Plus, they’d put me in a white toga that was now so wet you could see my tighty-whities! Unfortunately, it happened to be laundry day so 

I was wearing my old ones with the  hole in the ass . . . I’m sure that was the most exciting thing to happen in that town in the last fifty years. 

The whole room exploded into laughter. Grantaire smiled and downed his beer in one gulp.

As everyone separated off into their own conversations, Grantaire leaned back in his chair, looking over at Enjolras, sulking alone at the bar. Even in his bad mood, he was beautiful. He scowled as he sipped his beer and Grantaire marveled at him: his beautiful, chiseled features and those golden curls, glowing as a sort of halo in the dim, bar light. 

And in that moment he knew that, that man would never . . . could never feel towards him the way he felt. Someone as perfect as that could never love someone as broken as him. 

 

 


	7. The Painting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjolras finds something that may lead to him finding out the truth of Grantaire's true feelings for him

In the following weeks, Grantaire got himself settled into his new life. He got signed up for classes and even got a job, painting a mural on the wall of an elementary school.

Enjolras was surprised how seriously Grantaire seemed to take his art, considering the amount of seriousness he put into the rest of his life. His sketch book never seemed to leave his side, and he was constantly snatching it up to quickly jot something down before returning to whatever he had been in the middle of. He was constantly covered in paint, although Enjolras had never actually seen him paint anything. There was an easel set up in the corner by the window, but it was always covered by a sheet. In some rare moments, Enjolras would catch Grantaire switching out a used canvas for a clean one and then disappear into his/Jehan's room with the completed painting. Occasionally, he asked to see one of his works, but the artist always brushed him off, insisting that nothing he had was worth seeing. This bothered Enjolras sometimes, but he was always too soon distracted by something else to ever do anything about it. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One morning, Enjolras was woken up early by loud giggling coming from across the hall. Truth be told, this happened almost every morning; Grantaire and Jehan sharing a room was like having ten, eight year old girls having a never ending slumber party in your house.

Enjolras pushed off his blankets and stood up, resigned to the fact that he would never get back to sleep. He quickly pulled on a pair of pants and walked down the hallway to Jehan's room, knocking loudly on the door, "Jehan!"

More giggles. "JEHAN!"

The door opened a crack, and Grantaire's head poked out, filling Enjolras' view with a mass of dark curls.

"Yes, Enjy?"

Enjolras pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! I don't like people calling me that!"

"Except me!" Jehan yelled from somewhere behind the door. "Because you love me!"

Grantaire's lips switched from a grin to a pout. "Aw, do you not love me Enjy? I'm hurt." He attempted a fake sniffle.

"I love three things in this world: peace, quiet, and coffee" Enjolras counted off on his fingers. "And if I don't get those things, I become a very grumpy person, which you do not want to see, believe me."

"Is that so?" Grantaire raised both eyebrows in a questioning stare.

"Yes, it is so" Enjolras stated flatly, before turning to march back to his room matter-of-factly.

Once in his room, Enjolras shut the door behind him, slightly harder than necessary. He grumbled to himself angrily as he pulled open his dresser drawers, searching for a shirt. Finding one, he pulled it over his head, huffing in exacerbation when his haste caused it to get stuck on his ears.

Finally dressed, Enjolras made his way down the hallway (where the giggling has resumed as if never interrupted) barely slowing down to bang on Jehan's door and yell through it.

"I'm going out, be back around five. Then I expect some quiet for a couple hours!"

Once out of the building, Enjolras wasn't quite sure where to go. So he began to walk, letting his feet carry him off into the city.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Enjolras returned to the flat, he was in a much better mood than when he'd left. His feet had carried him to the library, where he had done some reading and caught up on some much needed quiet time. After that, he bought a coffee and went for a walk through the park on his way home. The mixture of fresh air and caffeine had left him in surprisingly high spirits.

Opening the front door and walking into the small living room, Enjolras found Grantaire, Jehan, and Courfeyrac sitting in a circle on the floor in front of the couch, the small coffee table having been pushed off to one side.

"Hey Enj!" Courfeyrac smiled. "Hope you don't mind I stopped by without calling. We're playing strip "kill, fuck, marry", wanna play?"

"Since when did that become a strip game? And how does that even work??"

"Since I made it one. And like this: It's normal rules. You get three choices and you choose which you'd like to kill, which you'd fuck, and which you'd marry. If you really want to, you can choose to fuck another one instead of kill them, but you have to give up a piece of clothing. so, you wanna play!"

This explained Courfeyrac's lack of shirt, shoes, and socks Enjolras had noticed when he walked in. He hadn't thought anything of it since Courfeyrac always finds a reason to take his clothes off.

"I think I'll sit this one out, if you don't mind." Enjolras picked his way around discarded clothes to get to the fridge and grab a bottle of juice.

"Suit yourself," Courfeyrac shrugged. Then he turned to Jehan with a mischievous grin, "Ok, my turn! Who're my choices?"

Jehan smiled back, pushing his braid over is shoulder, "David Tennant, John Barrowman, and Benedict Cumberbatch."

Grantaire let out a low whistle, and Courfeyrac scrunched up his forehead.

"You bastard, that's a really hard one!"

"I know" Jehan winked.

"Ok, I'll fuck David because, come on, he's super hot and I would kill to run my fingers through that luscious hair. I'll marry Benedict, because unf! Have you heard him speak! That voice could give me an orgasm with just three words and I'd get to hear it every day, asdfjk! And then, if I kill John Barrowman, he'll just come back to life cuz he's Captain Jack and he can't die. So, can I kill him, and then fuck him without a penalty?"

"Nope" Grantaire shook his head. "Off with the pants if you want to fuck Captain Jack."

"Well how else would I do it?" Courfeyrac winked and stuck out his tongue. He started to unbutton his pants, then stopped, "Oh, by the way, jokes on you cuz I'm not wearing underwear."

Jehan and Grantaire shielded their eyes, yelling at Courfeyrac to put his pants back on. Per usual, he ignored their requests, dropping his pants with a lopsided grin.

Enjolras, who had been watching from the sidelines now jumped up from his stool.

"For god's sake Courf! Cover yourself!"

He raised his hand to block as much of the naked man as he could as he made his way to the window where Grantaire's easel stood, covered by a white sheet.

"Here, take this" Enjolras said, as he reached for the sheet, pulling it off the easel with his free hand.

"NO!" Grantaire lunged toward Enjolras, uncovering his eyes and realizing too late what was happening.

Enjolras had already released his grip on the sheet, throwing it over Courfeyrac's exposed body. Confused at the outburst, Enjolras looked first at Grantaire, then back at the now uncovered canvas resting on the easel.

Enjolras blinked, not understanding what he saw. The figure depicted on the canvas was beautiful, exquisite. The perfect blending of colors, and the use of light and shadow. The soft, golden curls atop the figure's head, perfectly contrasting with the harsh red of his blazer. Every brush stroke, so deliberate yet so delicate; conveying strength and passion through the painted face. It was a masterpiece, and it was unmistakably . . . him.

He stared at the painting, mouth agape, while the whole rest of the room stared at him in silence.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he turned to face Grantaire.

"What is this? Is this me? W...why did you paint me like this?"

Grantaire stared back at him with wide, watery eyes. His mouth opened and closed but no sound came out as he tried to find something, anything to say; some explanation to avoid exposing the truth of his feelings to the perfect man standing across from him.

"Grantaire, Please explain. What is this?" Enjolras gestured at the painting.

Grantaire stood, slowly, grabbing hold of the couch as the room spun before his eyes. There was complete silence as they all waited, holding their breathes, for his response. He opened his mouth once more, closed it again, then he turned and ran out the door without a word.

Jehan stared at the door as it swung closed behind his friend and tugged nervously on his braid.

"Well, shit" he whispered.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry it took so long to update! got super sick and then had tons of school work but im gonna try to keep up from now on. Please let me know what you think. I live for your comments!


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Senior year is super busy but winter guard season just ended so I have lots more time.   
However, I'm starting to wonder if this story is getting a bit rambly or something . . . Or if it's all in my head.   
Please comment what you think and wether you want me to continue with it. If people want it I'll keep going and I promise to update at least weekly if not more often.   
Thank you all for reading!


	9. The return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta has been busy with college stuff so this chapter is beta'd. feel free to correct my errors :)
> 
> I'm so sorry this took so long to upload, i was having technical difficulties trying to do it with my ipad so I had to wait till my dad got back from his trip so I could use his computer. us my birthday is this coming week so I've been planning my party. I swear I'll have future chapters up regularly :) Thank you for staying with me.

Grantaire burst out of the building onto the dark, empty street. He ran for five more blocks. He wanted to run forever, keeping his mind blank and reality at bay. But soon his lungs began to burn and he was forced to stop, collapsing to sit on an empty bus bench.

Then, his brain, finally free of distraction, began to take over. He started to wonder what Enjolras was doing now.

Enjolras had seen his painting. He must have figured out how Grantaire felt about him . . . he must hate me . . . how could I have been so stupid?! Leaving it right out in the open where anyone could happen upon it. Maybe, in some back corner of his mind, he had wanted this to happen...wanted Enjolras to find the painting and figure out how he felt, because he was tired of hiding behind a careful facade of indifference.

Grantaire shook his head; none of it mattered anymore. It was done. Enjolras had seen the truth and Grantaire had to run like he always did.

_Maybe I should go back? ...Tomorrow..._ He needed time construct what he would say when he saw Enjolras again...he would wait until tomorrow.

* * *

*The next day - Back at the flat*

"Please stop pacing, Enjolras, you're making me nervous. "

Jehan was sitting sideways in their beat-up armchair, tugging on his braid like he always does when he's nervous. Enjolras was pacing up and down the room, muttering under his breath too quiet for Jehan to hear.

"Pacing helps me think."

"You haven't stopped since Grantaire left, and that was twelve HOURS ago! Surely you must be done thinking by now."

Enjolras stopped in front of Jehan. "I just don't understand it!" He gesture wildly with his arms and then continued his pacing.

" I just don't get it? Why did he run; why was it such a big deal? It was a painting...of me...But why did he seem so scared? I mean, I would understand some embarassment considering how protective he is of his artwork, but he should be proud of it! just look at the technique; it's masterful! He should be proud, not embarrassed."

Enjolras continued to pace as his loud rant faded into low mumblings. Jehan rolled his eyes and shook his head at his clueless roommate. He extricated himself from the deep chair and disappeared into his room; he just couldn't watch Enjolras pace anymore.

The other man didn't even notice Jehan leaving, completely lost in his own thoughts.

Downstairs, Grantaire was perfectly mirroring the tall blonde up in the apartment. He was pacing up and down before the front steps of the dorm building and muttering to himself in an attempt to work up the courage to go in and face Enjolras.

_Just a couple more minutes, then i'll go inside._

Just then, the door to the building opened behind him. Grantaire turned to see Jehan walking towards him.

Jehan sat down on the steps, patting the space next to him and silently gazing at Grantaire. He sat, and they both stayed like that, in silence for a while.

"How'd you know I was here?" Grantaire asked, suddenly breaking the silence.

"ESP." Jehan said with a completely straight face. Then his grin escaped and they both burst out laughing.

When they're giggling finally started to fade, Grantaire spoke again.

"Now, seriously?" He asked, still grinning.

"I saw you from my bedroom window. Why don't you come in?" Both their faces were serious now.

"I will. I'm just figuring out what I'm going to say once I'm there."

"Bullshit, you're just being chicken." Jehan elbowed him and grinned to show he was just teasing.

"I know that, no need to point it out so bluntly." Grantaire elbowed him back and couldn't help releasing a small smile.

"Does he hate me?" Both their smiles disappeared.

Jehan put his arm around the other man's drooping shoulders.

"Come on, hon. He could never hate you, you have nothing to worry about. He doesn't even understand what the picture is really about. He's spent the whole time since you left, pacing the living room and muttering to himself. He thinks you're painting skills and that's why you ran away. "

Grantaire lifted his head from where they had been hidden in his hands and looked at Jehan. "Are you serious?"

"As the plague." Jehan nodded.

Grantaire shook his head, a look of pure amazement on his face.

"Wow. He's more oblivious than I ever thought possible."

At this, Jehan stood and held his hand down to the other man, "So, will you come inside now?"

Grantaire sighed and grabbed his hand. Jehan smiled and held his hand all the way up to their flat. Grantaire knew better that to try and object, so he followed willingly, hand in hand with his friend.

 

 

 


	10. The Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjolras finally emerges from his cloak of obliviousness!

When they reached the door to the apartment, Grantaire got cold feet, pulling back on Jehan's grip and refusing to go through the door. With a sigh, and an exaggerated roll of his eyes, Jehan released the brunette's hand.

As Grantaire pressed himself against the opposite wall, Jehan opened the door, poking his head through the small gap and surveying the room inside. Signaling that the coast was clear, they both entered the room. Grantaire flopped down on the couch and covered his face with a pillow, muffling a long groan beneath the fabric.

Jehan crossed the room and opened the fridge to grab the other man a beer. "He was here when I left," Jehan began as he pried the top off the bottle, "He must have gone to bed."

Grantaire's simply grunted in reply.

"Here." Jehan handed Grantaire the beer and then vaulted over the back to plop down on the cushion next to him.

Grantaire uncovered his face, sat up, and took a long sip of the beer. His painting was still sitting in the corner, uncovered. It was like it was glaring at him...judging him. His Apollo, looking down on him as a lesser being.

"Can someone please cover that up."

"You have to face you're feelings someday, R; or they'll burn you up from the inside out."

Grantaire growled and covered his face with the pillow again. 

"Don't growl at me, you know it's true." Jehan poked Grantaire in the stomach, slowly at first, then faster. 

"Damn you!" Grantaire exploded in laughter. his face overtaken by a wide grin. "I never should have told you I'm ticklish" Grantaire burst out between giggles.

 Still poking him, Jehan smiled, "You now you love me." 

"Yah, I do. But I also love a crazy revolutionary who will never be capable of loving me back." He flopped back onto the cushion with an exasperated sigh.

 Jehan sighed and pushed himself up off the couch. He walked over to the painting and covered it up again. "I know, R...I know."

"I love Enjolras so much, my chest hurts whenever I'm around him. My mind goes fuzzy when he walks into the room. I would do anything for him.

"Come on, let's just watch a movie; clear your head for a bit. Everything's going to work itself out."

* * *

Back in his room, Enjolras slid down from where he had his ear pressed to the door, to sit cross-legged on the floor.

When he had heard the front door open, he started to leave his room to tell Jehan he was going to bed, but when he heard Grantaire's voice, he had quickly returned to his room. He didn't want to embarrass R any further in the same day.

Then, they had started talking. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop at first; It just sort of happened. But what he had heard was unbelievable. He sat there, slack-jawed. leaning up against the door.

"Grantaire...loves me?" he whispered under his breath. How could that be? Grantaire was a simple drunk who disagreed with Enjolras on practically everything. How could he be in love with him?

 "Oh my god! ...The painting! That's why he was so embarrassed! Is that how he sees me? ... wow ..."

Enjolras was astonished. With his life style, he had never given any thought to any sort of romantic relationship before. Besides, he was too dedicated to his various causes to possibly keep up with a boyfriend.

He was going to have to figure out how to let Grantaire down easy, and hurt his feelings as little as possible. But he _would_ have to let him down. It wasn't fair to lead him on, constantly hoping for something Enjolras couldn't give him.

Maybe Jehan could give him some advice on how to do this properly; Jehan's always been good at interpreting other people's feelings. He resolved to ask him in the morning and headed off to bed.

However, he had no luck in his attempts to sleep. His head was filled with thought that swirled around in an endless current, carrying the possibility of sleep away with it.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Grantaire lay on the couch staring at the ceiling. Jehan had fallen asleep on him halfway through _The Two Towers_. And Grantaire didn't have the heart to disturb him.

So now he lay in the dark, staring at nothing. He had given up on trying to sleep because his brain wouldn't shut up. Despite Jehan's assurances that Enjolras didn't know the truth behind the painting, Grantaire dreaded the morning, when he would have to face Enjolras again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry im a couple days late. Dad banned electronics for easter weekend :/  
> But I made a tumblr where I'll be posting updates so go follow if you want :D http://www.tumblr.com/blog/0n-the-side-0f-the-angels


	11. The Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so late my dog died after an amazing twelve years together. (Which I explained on tumblr when it happened so you guys would know why I disappeared) I got her in first grade and now I'm graduating. She almost saw me graduate.....but after that I was delves tasted and had trouble with motivation in writing this. But I finally got myself feeling up to it again and I now have it basically planned out until the end. Than you so much for sticking with me  
> Come say hi on Tumblr http://www.tumblr.com/dashboard

Enjolras' heart quickened and his breathing hitched in his throat as Grantaire began trailing hot, open mouthed kisses up and down his neck. Grantaire grinned and moved up to nip softly at his ear lobe. Enjolras' fingers tightened around the shorter man's shoulders as a low growl developed in his throat. Moving his hands up to sink them into the brunette's dark curls, Enjolras pulled his face up until their lips met, the heat of it causing Enjolras' head to spin. As their tongues intertwine, Enjolras skillfully begins to unbutton he other man's shirt, pushing it off his muscular shoulders. Grantaire exhaled into his mouth with a sigh of pleasure. His hands began to slowly trail down the blonde's chest, traveling lower and lower until he reached Enjolras'---

Enjolras' eyes flew open. His breathing hard and his mind momentarily clouded by sleep and lingering arousal. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes in an attempt to clear these images of Grantaire from his mind, and the feel of those hands from his skin.

As he stripped off his boxers and stepped into the shower, he began to wonder what this meant. The hot water cascaded over his face; he sighed and closed his eyes. _It's probably just because of what I heard last night...nothing to do with my own feelings, but simply a manifestation of this new information. I have no control over my dreams. It doesn't mean anything._

He's startled out of his reverie by a sudden knock at the door. "Hey, Enjy, you in there?" It's Jehan, Enjolras rolls his eyes.

"Obviously!" He calls back.

"Listen, I have to go, I'm late for a poetry reading at the new bookshop downtown. After that I'm meeting Courf for lunch so I won't be back for a while. Grantaire's asleep on the couch, try not to kill him while I'm gone."

"Wait! I needed your advice on something!" Enjolras yells, hurriedly trying to get the shampoo out of his hair.

"Can't. Gotta go. I'll help you later. Bye!"d Jehan was gone. And Enjolras was left standing in the middle of the bathroom, dripping water , with his left leg hurriedly stuffed into the right side of his jeans.

He groaned loudly and took his pants off again. He may as well finish his shower now. But what was he going to do about Grantaire?

Grantaire woke up to the smell of fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen. He stretched and groaned loudly before getting up off the couch. He rubbed his neck (note to self: you are too old to sleep on the couch) and walked into the kitchen, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

"Morning" Enjolras a said, glancing back at Grantiare as he grabbed two mugs from the top shelf of the cupboard. Grantaire's breath quickened and he tried to keep his expression under control when the blonde's movements revealed the lower portion of his abs and showed off prominent hip bones.

"Oh...hey... I thought you were Jehan."

"Jehan left for a poetry reading and told me not to kill you in your sleep. I didn't, by the way."

"Thanks for that." Grantaire gave him a sarcastic smile.

"No problem." Enjolras grinned and handed Grantaire a steaming cup of coffee.

As Grantaire sipped appreciatively from his mug, Enjorlas hoisted himself up into the counter, leaning back to study the man before him. He still couldn't believe that this man loved him. He needed to talk to someone. Quick.

"I'm gonna go over to Combeferre's to iron out some details for our next event. Try not to burn the place down while I'm gone.

"Aye-aye, Apollo." Grantaire gave him a curt nod and a sharp salute.

Enjolras skirted around the other man and out of the kitchen awkwardly. Grabbing his coat, he exited the small apartment without so much as a goodbye. 

* * *

 

Enjolras was so caught up in his own thoughts, it didn't even occur to him to call Combeferre before showing up at his door. It really shows how long they've been friends that Combeferre doesn't even question it. He lets Enjolras inside without comment and leads him to go sit on the couch where Courfeyrac is already sitting, watching TV.

"This better be good," Courfeyrac warns him, picking up the remote to pause what's on the TV, "I'm interrupting my Doctor Who marathon for you."

"Youre so kind" Enjolras says quite sarcastically.

The three of them sit in silence for a while. Enjolras twiddling his thumbs and avoiding making eye contact with his two friends as they watched him curiously. Courfeyrac was just beginning to doe off when Enjolras suddenly broke the silence.

"Ithinkgrantaireisinlovewithmeandidontknowwhattodopleasehelpme!" The words exploded from him, startling Courfeyrac awake and temporarily stunning Combeferre.

"What???" Combeferre asked after he had sufficiently recovered from Enjorlas' word vomit.

Enjolras took a breath and steadied himself. "I think. That Grantaire. Is in love...with me..."

Combeferre and Courfeyrac each let out a small sigh and exchanged a knowing and somewhat sad look. Enjolras looked between them, slightly confused but not enough to bother asking about it.

"I'd really like your guys' help to let him down easy. You know I'm not good at this emotional kind of stuff but I just don't think it's fair, leading him on like this, letting him think there's a chance of us getting together when there's definitely not."  
"Enjolras-", Courfeyrac started, before stopping and shaking his head.

"What?" Enjolras furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and slight annoyance.

"Enjolras", it's was Combeferre speaking now, "you can't say anything to him. Just leave it alone."

"But-", Enjolras began to interject.

"But nothing, Enjolras." Combeferre's voice became firm. "Grantaire has no misconceptions about your guys' relationship. He may have feelings for you but he has never even hoped that you could one day return them. He won't act on his feelings and you will just be hurting him more if you call him out on them. You cannot let him know that you now; it would break his heart even more than it already is."

Enjolras sat in stunned silence, letting Combeferre's words sink in. After a moment he let out a small, "oh...". That was all he could think to say.

Combeferre sighed and leaned over to rest a light hand on Enjolras' shoulder. "Promise me that you won't say anything to him."

"I promise."


	12. The Guest

Grantaire is at a bar, which is nothing new. Courfeyrac is on the stool next to him; he's had a lot to drink and Courf can be quite a giddy drunk. He's been ranting elatedly about something or other for about an hour. Grantaire has mostly ignored him, drowning himself in whiskey and self loathing, until he hears something that startled him out of his thoughts.

"Wait. What did you say?"

Courfeyrac blinked at him, looking slightly annoyed at the interruption.

"Courfeyrac! What did you say about Enjolras." His voice was low and very serious.

Courfeyrac didn't seem to notice, or care, that Grantaire was not in the same good mood he was in.

"Enjy found out about your little crush and asked me and Combeferre for advice."

"He WHAT!" Oh my god. Courf!

Startled by his sudden outburst, Courfeyrac reeled back, nearly falling off his stool. "Holy crap! Calm down, R."

"How can you tell me to calm down? Do you realize what this means? My life is ruined. I'll have to move. I can't go to meetings anymore . . . Oh god, I'll have to find a new bar." Grantaire was rambling, his thoughts running out of control and spilling out, unfiltered, until Courfeyrac slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shhhh." Courfeyrac leaned in close to Grantaire till their noses were nearly touching. "He's not going to say anything to you, we made sure of that. Just back off for a little while and he'll forget all about this little incident."

He slowly removed his hand from Gramtaire's mouth. Grantaire was breathing heavily but at least the word vomit had stopped. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a moment to breathe and count to ten.

"Well, this sucks. I guess I'll keep my distance for a while . . . Let this blow over. I really can't afford to move out."

"Exactly!" Courfeyrac grinned widely, straightening up so suddenly his stool wobbled precariously and Grantaire was sure he was about to fall on his ass. Serves him right. But the stool balanced itself out and Curfeyrac seemed not to have noticed the near marriage between his rear and the floor. Courfeyrac ordered another round, which Grantaire accepted before tuning out the rest of the bar and losing himself in his own head once again.

* * *

 

Over the next few days, Grantaire made himself scarce around the apartment. Enjolras doesn't notice because he's busy doing the exact same thing. Inevitably, Enjolras got caught up in more important things, like changing the world, and forgot all about avoiding. Grantaire. But Grantaire never forgot. He started painting in Jehan's room instead of out by the window. When he wasn't painting he never stayed in the apartment, he always left to spend his spare time god knows where.

Against his better judgement, Enjolras has found his mind drifting off to wonder about where R does end up going during more than one planning session with Combeferre. He hadn't seen more than a glimpse of Grantaire in over two weeks but that really shouldn't bother him as much as it did. Ever since that night he over heard Grantaire confiding in Jehan, Enjolras had had this constant weight in his stomach that he just can't seem to shake. He tried to emerge himself even more in Les Amis (as if that's even possible) but nothing can quite distract him from that unsettling feeling.

* * *

 

Grantaire still showed up to the meetings twice a week, despite everything's that's happened. He sat alone in the back corner, sketching, and refusing to make eye contact with the blonde at the head of the room. Although he tried to ignore it, the more Grantaire avoided his gaze, the more Enjolras' eyes were drawn to him. Grantaire's eyes never left his sketch pad, but Enjolras' kept flicking to the corner, as if searching for recognition or reply from the cynic.

But this week was different. This week, there was an extra person tucked away in the shadowy corner, and Grantaire's hands held something other than his sketch book. After the meeting, Grantaire brought his guest up to meet Enjolras and the rest of the group. The newcomer stuck out his hand, introducing himself as Montparnasse. He was, Enjolras had to admit, quite handsome. The man wore a simple, white v-neck that was just tight enough to show off his well toned abs but not so tight that it looked like he was trying to hard. Over the t-shirt, he wore a fitted leather jacket that perfectly complemented his broad shoulders and accentuated his small waist.

Enjolras took his hand somewhat reluctantly and shook it. He made small talk, welcoming him to their group and asking him what he thought of the meeting. He was calm and polite, on the outside. On the inside, his mind was reeling. His friends didn't normally bring guests to their meetings, but especially not Grantaire. It wasn't like he wasn't allowed to bring a guest, it was just very unlike him. Why this guy? Why now?

* * *

 

Montparnasse turned into almost a regular at their meetings, accompanying Grantaire for the next four weeks. The rest of Les Amis liked him well enough but Eponine was the only one who really hit it off with him. Enjolras, however, was not a fan of Montparnasse and his dislike for him grew with every meeting he attended. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but their was something about that guy that rubbed him the wrong way.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoy writing it :) Comments always appreciated, thank you :))


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